. Seals, Script, Weights . Seals and sealings Seals and sealings were used to facilitate long- distance communication. Imagine a bag of goods being sent from one place to another.
Its mouth was tied with rope and on the knot was affixed some wet clay on which one or more seals were pressed, leaving an impression. If the bag reached with its sealing intact, it meant that it had not been tampered with. The sealing also conveyed the identity of the sender. .
An enigmatic script Harappan seals usually have a line of writing, probably containing the name and title of the owner. Scholars have also suggested that the motif (generally an animal) conveyed a meaning to those who could not read. Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about signs. Although the script remains undeciphered to date, it was evidently not alphabetical (where each sign stands for a vowel or a consonant) as it has just too many signs – somewhere between and .
It is apparent that the script was written from right to left as some seals show a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began working from the right and then ran out of space. Consider the variety of objects on which writing has been found: seals, copper tools, rims of jars, copper and terracotta tablets, jewellery, bone rods, even an ancient signboard! Remember, there may have been writing on perishable materials too. Could this mean that literacy was widespread?
. Weights Exchanges were regulated by a precise system of weights, usually made of a stone called chert and generally cubical (Fig. . ), with no markings.
The Fig. . A sealing from Ropar Ü How many seals are impressed on this piece of clay? Fig.
. Symbols, Letters on what is considered a signboard found at Dholavira. What are some of the present- day methods used for long- distance exchange of goods? What are their advantages and problems?